Strip-feeding machine



Nov. 12, 1929. E. E. LEONARD STRIP FEEDING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet Nov. 12, 1929. E. E. LEONARD STRIP FEEDING MACHINE Filed June 15, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 12, 1929. E. E. LEONARD 1,735,288

S-TRIP FEEDING MACHINE Filed June 13. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 12, 1929 UNITED sTATus PATENT OFFICE EDWIN E. LEONARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERSTATE IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS STRIP-FEEDING MACHINE Application filed June 13,

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mechanism for feeding metallic strips to blank-cutting machines, and especially to tack-cutting machines, and consists in the organizations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in practical embodiment in the accompanying drawings in which, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of parts of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. dis a similar view on the line 44 in Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being omitted; Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views showing the cam-actuating slides and the cams in difi'erent relations; Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the cams; Fig. 9 is a detail view showing the under side of the cover-plate of the strip-feeding box; Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the under side of the cover-plate of the strip-anchor box; and Fig. 11 shows the rear side of the box-head.

In the construction shown a strip guidetube 1 is suitably'supported on standards 2 mounted on the angle frame 3 in line with the usual oscillating barrel which alternately presents op osite sides of the leading end of the strip o stock S to the cutter; these latter parts are not shown as they are well-known in various forms in the art and do not constitute part of my invention. The top of the frame 3 provides a horizontal table of suit able dimensions, and a bell-crank lever 4 is pivotally mounted on the side of the frame in front of the receiving end of the tube, and is operated by any suitable means from the cutter to work in timed relation with the severing operations.

A rectangular bed-plate 5 is bolted to the table 3 as at 6 in front of the pivot of the bell-crank, and is provided along its sides with opposite grooves to form horizontal guideways 7; the, upper portion of the bed is provided with an open-top longitudinal lubricant channel and is of less width than its lower portion so that the upper walls of the grooves terminate short of the edges of the plate. On the upper por- 1927. Serial No. 198,513.

the upper walls of the guideways terminate short of the edges of the lower portion. A cable 12 is attached at one end to an angular bracket 13 bolted. on the rear side of the carriage 8 and passes over a sheave l4: journaled on a stud-shaft 15 on the frame and carries a counterweight 16 at its free end.

On its inner end the carriage 8 carries a reciprocating strip-feeding box composed of a rectangular base plate 17 forming its floor and somewhat shorter than and .slidably mounted on the upper portion of the carriage, and side walls 18 extending above and below the base with their lower portions having a sliding fit with the sides of said upper portion and provided with inwardly projecting runners 19 to engage the guideways 11. The box carries a pair of opposite wedge-plates 20 extending lengthwise of its floor adjacent its sides and held therein by fasteners 21 passing through the box-sides and engaging the plates; the rear fasteners may be headed screw bolts but the front ones are screws whose heads are countersunk in the box-side to afford a flush surface for the box-head hereafter described. Each plate 20 is preferably provided with a plurality of inwardly facing vertical wedge-faces 22 arranged in opposite pairs and disposed longitudinally of the box with their thicker ends toward the inner end of the box and inclined away from the median line of the box in the direction of its discharge end and toward the guide tube as shown in Fig. 2, and also is formed with a reduced end rod 23 which projects out of and beyond the discharge or outer end of the box and is provided with an adjustable collar 24 near its free end held in position strips 27 boltedto the box-sides as at 28. The

cover-plate is formed at its outer or discharge end with depending wings 29 through which the rods 23 freely pass, and coiled springs 30 are mounted on the rods and expand between the collars 24 and wings 29 to tend to move the cover-plate inwardly; by adjusting the collars 24 along the rods 23 the tension and pressure of the springs on the wings may be increased or diminished. The cover-plate 26 is provided with a plurality of pins or studs 31 depending into the box between the wedgeplates and arranged in longitudinal groups or sets, each set comprising four studs between each pair of opposite-wedge-faces 22, and a pair of opposite feed-rollers 32 is seated in the box between-each pair of opposite wedge-faces, each roller of a pair being located between a longitudinal pair of studs as shown in Fig. 2. The feed-rollers of each transverse pair are vertically disposed on opposite sides of the path of the stock-strip I S and revolubly seated with slight play he- I tween the longitudinal pairs of studs and are free to change their axial positions and so move toward or away from a stock-strip positioned between them, being held against tilting by the cover of the box. The position of the opposite rollers at diflerent points along the associated wedge-faces to allow them to separate more or less for strips of different thicknesses is regulated by setting the coverplate 26 inwardly or outwardl by increasing or diminishing the pressure 0 the springs 30 on its wings 29 as above described. When the rollers are set for a strip of the desiredv thickness andthe cover 26 is manually moved outwardly to allow the rollers to separate the leading end of the strip may be passed through the front end of the box into posi tion between them, and then when the cover is released they are pressed longitudinally by their outer studs toward the thicker ends of the edges and engage against the wedge-faces and the strip. When the box moves outward or toward the guide-tube the rollers of each transverse pair grip the strip between them and move it forwardly toward the guide-tube, and when the box moves inward the rollers release the strip and idle along its length. The cover-plate extends over the path of the strip of stock being operated upon and so prevents it from rising out of position between the feed-rollers, and it also protects the interior parts from dirt and other foreign substances. A cable 33 is fastened at one end to a bracket 34 on the rear side of the feed-box and passes over a sheave 330 on anchor box composed of a short rectangular base plate 36 forming its floor and mounted on the outer end of the upper portion of the carriage 8 in front of the feeding-box, and side walls 37 extending above and below the floor with their lower portions provided with inward directed flanges 38 to engage the carriage guideways 11. The anchor-box is bolted to the carriage as at 39 and carries a pair of opposite wedge-plates 40 which extend lengthwise along its fioor adjacent its sides and are held therein by bolts 41 and provided with inwardly facing vertical wedge-faces 42 oppositely disposed with their thicker ends toward the outer end of the boxas shown in Fig. 2, each plate 40 being formed with a reduced end rod 43 which projects out of the front end of the box. A cover-plate 44 is slidably carried on the upper surfaces of the wedge-plates 40 being retained in position by keeper-strips 45 bolted as at 46 to the boxsides, and is formed at its outer end with depending wings 47 through which the rods free ly pass; and coiled springs 48 are mounted on the rods to expand between the wings 47 and wedge-plates40 to tend to draw the cover-plate outwardly. The cover 44 is provided with depending pins or studs 49 arranged in a rectangular group between the wedge-faces 42, and a pair of opposite vertical rollers 50 is located in the box on opposite sides of the path of a stock-strip, each roller being revolubly seated between a longitudinal pair of studs as shown in Fig. 2 and free to change its axial position, and held by the, cover against tilting. By manually moving the cover 44 inwardly the outer studs 49 move the rollers 50 to different positions along the wedges to separate more or less to receive stock-strips of difierent thicknesses, and then when an appropriate strip is inserted and its leading end is positioned between the feed-rollers 32 and the cover '44 is released its springs and inner studs 49 press the rollers 50 into engagement with the wedges and the strip to grip the latter. A coil spring 51 is located between the base 17 of the feed-box and the base 36 of the anchor-box to expand and act as a buffer between these parts, its ends being located in opposite seats 52 as shown in Fig. 1.

An upright rectangular head 53 is bolted as at 54 to the front side of'the carriage 8 and forms an inner guideway .55 in which a camactuating slide 56 is reciprocated by the bellcrank lever 4 to which its lower end is-suitably pivoted by a headed pin 57 working in an elongated slot 58 in the free end of the lever. The head 53 is provided with an open-bottom elongated horizontal slot 59 in its lower end, and with a substantially. square opening 60 in its central portion. vThe slide 56 is provided with an upper internal cam-way 61 and alower internal cam-way 62 in its body portion. The upper cam-way is. formed with a substantially vertical inner wall 63 adjacent the inner edge of the slide, upper and lower diagonal walls 64 which converge away from the wall 63, and a shorter vertical outer wall 65 opposite the wall 63 and provided with horizontal notches 66 at its upper and lower ends where it approaches the walls 64. The lower cam-way is formed with an arcuate outer wall 67 adjacent the outer edge of the slide and terminating in upper and lower vertical notches 68, upper and lower diagonal walls 68 which converge away from the wall 67, and a shorter vertical wall 70 opposite the wall 67 and provided with. horizontal notches 71 at its upper and lower ends where it approaches the walls 69. A cam-plate 72 is piv oted as at 73 on the front wall 18 of the feedbox and is located in the upper cam-way 61 of the slide 56; its pivotal end is adjacent the vertical wall 63 of the cam-way and its free end is forked to provide upper and lower dogs 74 to respectively engage the upper and lower notches 66 of the cam-way. A camplate 7 5 is pivoted as at 76 on the bed-plate 5 and is located in the lower cam-way 62 of the slide 56; its pivotal end 77 is adjacent the arcuate wall 67 of the cam-way and is correspondingly curved and terminates in upper and lower detents 78 to respectively engage the upper and lower notches 68 to limit the travel of the carriage, and its free end is forked to provide upper and lower dogs 79 to respectively engage the upper and lower notches 71. The outer ends of the pivots of the cam-plates 72 and extend respectively into the opening 60 and the slot 59 of the head 53 to allow necessary clearance and play of the parts.

111 Fig. 1 the parts are shown in their relation when the boxes are at the limit of their outward stroke away from the guidetube 1. lVhen the leading end of a stockstrip S is positioned between the rollers 32 as above described and the slide 56 is drawn down for example by the lever 4 moving contra-clockwise from its position in Fig. 1, the upper notches 66 and 71 of the slide align respectively with the upper dogs 74 and 7 9 of the cam-plates, the upper dia onal walls 64 and 69 swing the cam-plates own to move their lower dogs away from the walls 65 and 70 of the slide, and the weights 16 and 35 draw the carriage 8 and both boxes 17 and 36 forward toward the guidetube 1 until the upper de'tent 78 engages the upper notch 68 to stop the carriage and box 36, and the weight 35 continues to draw the box 17 forward on the carriage until the upper dog 74 seats in the upper notch 66 (Fig. 5), the spring 51 aiding and accelerating its final forward motion. The feedbox 17 thus travels a greater distance than the anchor-box 36; during the simultaneous forward movements of both boxes their rollers co-operate to initially feed the strip S forward toward the cutter, and during the continned forward travel of the feed-box 17 by its weight its rollers 32 draw the strip forward between the-rollers 50 to present its leading end to the cutter, in which position the rollers 50 grip the strip and hold it during a severing stroke of the cutter. When the lever 4 has reached its limit of movement and starts to move clockwise the slide 56 is moved up and its upper notches 66 and 71 in engagement respectively with the upper dogs 74 and 79 of the cam-plates swing the latter upwardly, and the lower dog 79 engaging the wall 70 camsthe carriage and anchor-box 36 back to their original positions away from the feed-tube"with the rollers 50 gripping the stripgand' retracting it away from the cutter; and the lower dog 74 engaging the wall 65 cams the feed-box 17 rearwardly along the carriage and puts the spring 51 under tension, the rollers 32 idling along the strip. When the parts reach their original positions shown'in Fig. 1, the rollers 50 hold the strip in its rearward position, and the mechanism is ready for another operation of feeding the strip forward. Continued clockwise movement of the lever 4 raises the slide 56 (Fig. 6) until the lower notches 66 and 71 align respectively with the lower dogs 74 and 79, the lower diagonal walls 64 and 69 of the slide swing the canrplates up to move their upper dogs away from the walls 65 and 70, the carriage .is again moved forward by its weight 16 until the lower detent 7 8 engages the lower notch 68, and the weight 35 draws the box 17 forward on the carriage as above described to feed the strip another step forward, in which position it is held by the rollers 50 during the next out. On the reverse movement of the lever 4 contra-clockwise the slide 56 is drawn down and turns both camplates, the upper dog 79 wipes against the vertical wall 70 to cam the carriage and box 36 back to their original positions when the rollers 50 retract the strip from the cutter, and the upper dog 7 4 wipes against the vertical wall 65 to cam the feed-box rearwardly along the carriage, the rollers 32 idling along the strip. When the parts again reach their positions shown in Fig. 1, the rollers 50 hold the strip in its rearward position, and the machine is ready for another operation of feeding the strip to the cutter. The strip is thus fed forward twice for each forward and reverse movement of the lever 4 or each opposite stroke of its operating rod. The feed movement of the strip is the distance it is moved by the forward travel of the feed-box; the rollers 32 grip the strip and move it forward to the cutter'during each inward movement of the feed-box and release it and idle along it during each outward movement of the feed-box. The anchor-box during its forward movement acts as an auxil iary to the feed-box to move the strip forward during the initial inward movement of the feed-box, and its rollers 50 hold the strip in its successive forward positions at the cutter to which it is drawn through them by the final inward travel of the feed-box and then retract the strip away from the cutter and hold it while the feed-box moves outwardly and until the rollers 32 again clamp the strip to take another hold for its next feed movement. The rollers 50 maintain their grip on the strip at all times except when the latter is drawn forward through them by the final inward movement of the feed-rollers 32; thus the strip is uniformly positioned and evenly fed to the cutter and is held there during the cutting operation, and it is positively retracted and advanced with relation to the cutter between successive severing operations so that its leading end is withdrawn from the cutter between cuts and consequently will not be curled or deformed by parts at the zone of severance.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a sliding box on said frame, opposite Wedges carried by the box and extending longitudinally thereof, rollers adjacent the wedges movable toward and away from a stock-strip positioned between them, means to reciprocate the box, a cover extending across the box, means to adjust the cover lon- 1 sharpen gitudinally on the box, and means carried by the cover to push the rollers against the wedges.

2. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a sliding feed-box on said frame, a pair of opposite wedge-plates carried by the box and having a plurality of pairs of -opposite wedge-faces, a spring-pressed cover extending across said box having studs depending therein and arranged in opposite pairs between said faces, rollers seated in the box between each pair of studs, means to adjust the cover on the box lengthwise of the wedge-plates, and means for reciprocating the box.

V 3. In a machine of the character described, a. frame, a sliding feed-box on said frame, a pair of opposite wedge-plates'carried'by the box and having a plurality of pairs of opposite wedge-faces, rods on said plates extending out of the discharge end of the box, adjustable collars on the rods, a cover extending across said box having studs depending therein and arranged in opposite pairs between said faces, rollers seated in the box between each pair of studs, expanding springs between the collars and cover, and means for reciprocating the box.

4. In a machine for feeding a strip of stock, a frame, a guide carried thereby, a carriage slidably mount d on the frame, a reed device i feed ox a box me o t treatise means in the anchor-box to hold the stock in its forward position, and spring-stressed cover-plates on said boxes having means to adjust the stock-moving and stock-holding means respectively. I

5. n a machine for feeding a strip of stock, 'a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, means in the feed-box to move the stock being acted on forwardly, means in the anchor-box to hold the stock in its forward position, cover-plates on said boxes having means to adjust the stoclnmoving and stockholding means respectively, and springs acting on said plates to stress said moving and I holding means.

6. In a machine for feeding a strip of stock, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, means in the feed-box to move the stock being acted on forwardly, means in the anchor-box to hold the stock in its forward position, cover-plates on said boxes having means to adjust the stock-moving and stockholding means respectively. wings on the outer ends of said cover-plates, rods extending from the outer ends of said boxes and passing through the wings of their respective cover-plates, and springs on the rods stressing said wings rearwardly.

7. In a machine for feeding a strip of stock, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, means to reciprocate the carriage, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, means to reciprocate the feed-box on the carriage, means in the feed-box to move the stock being acted on forwardly, and means in the anchor-box to hold the stock in its forward position.

8. In a machine for feeding a strip of stock, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-hex on the car riage, means in the feed-box to move he stock being acted on forwardly, means in the anchor-box to hold the stock inits forin the head and having a cam-way formed with a straight wall terminating in upper and lower notches, a cam-plate pivoted on the box and having upper and lower dogs facing said wall and spaced apart less than the distance between said notches, means to move the box to press the dogs toward the notches, and means to reciprocate the slide on the head.

11. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a head and a strip-anchor box mounted on the carriage, means on the frame and head causing the latter to be reciprocated comprising a slide mounted in the head and having a cam-way formed with a straight wall terminating in upper and lower notches, a cam-plate pivoted on the frame and having upper and lower dogsfacing said wall and spaced apart less than the distance between said notches, means to move the head to press the dogs toward the notches, and means to reciprocate the slide on the head.

12. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a-carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, a head-piece on the carriage, a slide mounted in the head and having upperand lower cam-ways formed respectively with forward and rearward straight walls terminating in upper and lower notches, a cam-plate pivoted on the frame and having upper and lower dogs facing the wall of the lower cam-way, a cam-plate pivoted on said feed-box and having upper and lower dogs facing the wall of the upper cam-way, means to move the carriage and feed-box forward, and means to reciprocate the slide on the head. 1

13. In a machine of the character described, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, means whereby they reciprocation of the feed-box moves the stock being acted on forwardly, means in the anchor-box to hold the stock in its forwardposition, a head-piece on the carriage, a slide mounted in the head and having upper and lower cam-ways formed respectively with forward and rear ward straight walls terminating in upper and lower notches, a cam-plate pivoted on the frame and having upper and lower dogs facing the straight wall of the lower camway, a cam-plate pivoted on the feed-box and havin upper and lower dogs facing the scribed, a frame, a carriage slidably mounted on the frame, a feed-device comprising a sliding feed-box and a fixed anchor-box on the carriage, a head-piece on the carriage, a slide mounted in the head and having upper and lower cam-ways formedrespectively with forward and rearward straight walls terminating in upper and lower notches, the lower cam way having an arcuate wall terminating in upper and lower notches, a cam-plate pivoted on the frame and having upper and lower dogs way and engage the notches of said arcuate wall, a cam-plate pivoted on'said feed-box and having up er and lower dogs facing the straight wall 0 the upper cam-way, means to move the carriage and feed-box forward, and means to reciprocate the slide on the head.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

, EDWIN E. LEONARD.

straig t wall of the upper cam-way, means to move the carriage and feed-box forward, and means to reciprocate the slide on the head.

14. In a machine of the character defacing the wall of the lower camaving upper and lower detents to 

